Kingsbridge

A worrying number of young people in the South Hams are using hard drugs, according to a local policeman.

Richard Loxton, response officer at Dartmouth Police Station, says there is a growing drugs culture amongst the district's younger population.

In an exclusive interview with 999Kingsbridge, the 31-year-old said harder drugs such as cocaine and amphetamines were finding their way on to the streets of the South Hams.

"There seems to be a growing culture at the moment that sees drug use as acceptable," said Mr Loxton. "This is especially true for the harder drugs like cocaine and amphetamines which a short time ago seemed to be left for the harder drug users in the city, but so many people, especially those aged in their 20's, seem to think that these are fine."

But he says Devon and Cornwall Constabulary are trying to tackle the problem of drugs and drug related crime. "Through intelligence-led policing we are keeping on top of the issue," he explained. "Stop and search powers are being used appropriately and also thanks to good information from the community we are able to gather evidence that allows us to arrest the offenders.

"For example, you may be suspicious about a neighbour or an address which has people coming at all times of the day and night, staying for only short periods of time, or disturbances coming from an address. This could be something totally innocent, but by letting us know we can investigate. It may be that drugs are being dealt or used from this address.

"All information is greatly received, and if anyone wants to let us know about anything, please feel free to pop into the station, speak to a police officer or police community support officer (PCSO) or phone Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."

Richard Loxton, Dartmouth Police: "There seems to be a growing culture at the moment that sees drug use as acceptable."

Despite a growing drugs problem in the area, Mr Loxton was far more positive on the issue of underage drinking.

"Some people would disagree with me, but I'd say the South Hams does not have a major problem with underage drinking," he said. "Kids will always want to experiment with alcohol and I don't think you'd be able to curb the drinking culture totally."

He added: "Overall, I think we're really lucky in the South Hams. Generally, the kids around here are good and just want to enjoy themselves. As with anywhere, there are a small minority who go out and drink to excess most weekends. And when they've had a few too many, they cause problems. Whether it be general noise nuisance and anti-social behaviour, or sometimes the more criminal end of the scale, such as criminal damage, assault or burglary, it is totally unacceptable."

We also asked Mr Loxton about his views on the impact of extended licensing hours. He said later licensing hours for pubs and clubs has not created the problems some opponents had predicted. "Extended licensing hours haven't really made a difference to the levels of crime in the South Hams. Actually, I prefer the new laws. Whereas before, I found that people would rush to get as many drinks as possible before 11pm, now people are more relaxed about it."

Laws allowing pubs, clubs and shops in Wales and England to sell alcohol for longer if they gained a licence were introduced in November 2005.

Mr Loxton admitted that response policing in the district was "stretched to its bare minimum". "PC's have many responsibilities, such as responding to the emergency and non-emergency calls, investigating crimes, pro-active policing, roads policing, court, meetings, let alone the masses of paperwork that comes with the job," he explained.

However, the response officer was also keen to stress that the community is adequately protected. "We have a grading system for every call, and in urgent cases, you will have a PC with you within twenty minutes, no matter where you are in the area," he said.

Mr Loxton also told 999Kingsbridge that Chief Constable Stephen Otter is currently looking at ways of reducing bureaucracy with the aim of freeing up more time for uniformed officers.

"It would be fantastic to have more presence on the streets, then we could really stop any problems that we have at the moment," said Mr Loxton. "If anyone has considered giving up a few hours of their time a month to be a special constable, than why not come and speak to us. It's a really good way of giving something back to this great community."

Mr Loxton also took the opportunity to praise Mr Otter's performance as Chief Constable. "He (Mr Otter) is very keen on citizen focus. He believes it's imperative that the public are satisfied with the service that they receive and encourages all of his staff to go above and beyond what would be expected of a police officer. He wants Devon and Cornwall Constabulary to be the best police service in the country."